Professional recruitment firms in the UK reported that overall vacancy numbers for permanent roles fell by 1% in February 2017 compared to last year, while demand for contractors decreased by 9% year-on-year, according to new data from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies.

APSCo’s data, which focuses on professional recruitment, also reveals notable variations between the trade association’s core sector groups in terms of hiring activity. While permanent vacancies across both finance and engineering increased by 1 year-on-year, permanent placements within IT decreased by 7%.     

Meanwhile, vacancies for professional contractors decreased by 9% across the board year-on-year, with much of this activity attributed to a notable fall in the number of roles within financial services.

Despite permanent vacancies increasing by 1% year-on-year in this sector, demand for contractors dropped by 23% during the same period. APSCo states that investment banks in London are beginning to execute plans to uproot jobs from the city. Demand for IT contractors has also decreased by 16%.

APSCo’s figures also reveal that median salaries across all professional sectors dipped by 1.3% year-on-year. This figure is characterised by notable fluctuations in terms of sector, with IT, for example, recording an uplift of 1.3% while in banking average salaries were down 3.6% year-on-year.

“Amid the huge amount of uncertainty the UK is facing as the Prime Minister prepares to trigger Article 50, demand for talent remains incredibly strong,” Ann Swain, Chief Executive of APSCo, said. “Despite predictions that the Brexit vote would decimate the jobs market, the fact that permanent vacancy numbers remain largely unchanged since early 2016 - a time when forecasts overwhelmingly predicted that the UK would remain inside Europe post referendum - is testament to the sheer strength and robustness of the UK economy.”

“While contractor placements actually increased by 3% in February, a decrease in contractor vacancies suggests that employers are now prioritising long-term workforce plans, rather than short term gap-plugging, as we enter the new financial year. This is most evident within financial services, where it is apparent that the recent frenzy of temporary hiring, which created a temporary boom in demand for contractors, has now subsided to be replaced with more stable hiring activity until employers have a firmer idea of their plans post-Brexit,” Swain said.